It was a frustrating Senior Night for the Ankeny Centennial boys’ soccer team.
The Jaguars controlled the ball for much of the game, but had very little to show for it in a 2-0 loss to visiting Norwalk in a non-conference matchup on Thursday.
“We got into their defensive third 40 times, but only registered four shots,” said Centennial coach Brian Duax. “Sometimes, we are too unselfish in front of the goal. We need somebody to be a ruthless goal-scorer.”
The Warriors evened their record at 5-5. Centennial dropped to 3-7 on the season.
The Jaguars are now 1-2 since sophomore Tate Duax joined the squad after previously playing for Austin FC Academy. The son of coach Duax is still adapting to a new style of play.
“I want Tate to go be dynamic,” said Duax. “I want him to go after defenders and do the things that he’s really good at.”
Norwalk scored both of its goals in the first half. The Warriors scored an own goal in the 18th minute, then put a header into the net off a free kick about 9 minutes later.
“We made two costly errors that cost us two goals,” Duax said. “We’re young and I hate using that excuse over and over again, but we are young and sometimes we make mistakes.”
The Jaguars attacked repeatedly throughout the second half, but were unable to find the net. Often, they turned the ball over before they could take a shot.
Centennial was held scoreless for the second straight game.
“I would say we controlled most of the game, but we struggled in both boxes,” Duax said. “And kudos to Norwalk. They were uber organized and uber disciplined and made things difficult for us. We’ve just got to be better in both boxes.”
The Jaguars will host a CIML Conference game on Friday against Waukee. The Warriors are 0-4 in the league and 1-6 overall.